Early shoppers at Bealls were truly enjoying the 25% savings.
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With online shopping becoming increasingly popular and Black Friday deals starting late Thanksgiving night, the busiest shopping day of the year turned out to be not so busy for Carlsbad stores.

Carlsbad Mall manager Janie Balzano said she noticed fewer people shopping Friday morning than there had been in the last 16 years. Balzano and the employees of five mall stores arrived at 4 a.m.-but hardly any shoppers were there to join them.

"Maybe people are sleeping in this morning after the turkey. I don't know," she said.

Ruth Ann Ropp of Carlsbad Mennonite Church, which was selling items made by foreign artisans in the 10,000 Villages shop at the mall, said she thought shoppers were scarce because Bealls opened its doors the night before for a sale lasting from 8 p.m. to midnight.

"That really has cut the mall traffic down this morning," she said.

Sears manager Craig Andrews agreed, though he said the sales at his store had been steady. "Today has been different than most years," he said. "We didn't have a huge surge at first like we've had in the past." Andrews said everything in the store was on sale, but one of the most popular items selling at Sears yesterday was the Craftsman tool set.
Hastings employees said they were also expecting a large flock of shoppers at yesterday's opening, but found they were only busy for the first 30 minutes of the day. Hastings' hottest item, the Xbox video game system being offered for $150, sold out.

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And there weren't many electronics left at Walmart either, said Kristle Parraz, who said her shopping experience was far from pleasant. In fact, "it was awful," she said.

Walmart started its Black Friday deals at 8 p.m. on Thursday, and Parraz said she started waiting in line at 6:30 for a 40-inch TV that was set to go on sale at 10 p.m. But by 9:30, the item she wanted was sold out.
When she left the line, a Walmart manager told her she could buy the TV online for the same sale price and she would be guaranteed to get it by Christmas.

Preston and Haiven Schoolcraft meet Santa Claus on his first visit to The Carlsbad Mall.
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"I wish he would've told me that sooner. They wasted three hours of my time," she said.

Parraz also reported seeing people fighting on the floor over $2 DVDs. "They (Walmart) did have extra security, but that didn't stop people from fighting," said Parraz.

Another Walmart customer had better luck than Parraz in getting what she went for, though she too experienced rude shoppers.
She said she stood in line for two and a half hours for the iPad 2 on sale for $399, though it was worth it for her because she got it-that and the $75 Walmart gift card that came with it.
And while all that was going on next door, shoppers at Sutherlands were being welcomed into a much more light-hearted atmosphere by Pastor Dave Rogers and his daughters, CJ and Rachel.

Dave Rogers and daughter CJ broadcasted Sutherlands' sales live on the radio from outside the store. Rogers said the store has hired him to do this for the past 11 years.
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The Rogers were broadcasting Sutherlands' sales on live radio for the 11th year, and their team from Carlsbad Remote Radio was cooking pizzas and giving out slices and sodas for free.

In addition to the free food and drinks, the Rogers advertised a 15-percent-off-everything sale going on inside the store. "We're live and we're enjoying life!" said Pastor Rogers to radio listeners.

Unfortunately, that was not the case for all Black Friday shoppers, but at least some people got the deals they were seeking.

Dr. Nancy Sherick was shopping the Black Friday deals at Sears yesterday morning. She said her stove caught on fire just 45 minutes earlier, so it was time to buy a new one.
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